DAILY Camel Pose Begin pose from a kneeling position, knees hip width, with thighs slightly inwardly rotated. There are many variations on hand placement, but a good start is to place hands on back of the hips, with thumbs pressing down toward tailbone, a reminder to keep moving tailbone toward pubis. Lift thighs and keep them forward, along with the hip bones, inhale and lift heart, take head back as far as your neck is happy, do not crunch and close back of neck. Head and neck continue the extension and alignment of the spine. Keep shoulders down, shoulder blades dropping. If you have neck issues, keep chin down and lift chest up. For more advanced work, lift arms up and back, grabbing heels, but maintain lifted, forward hips and thighs, maintaining a long spine. Do not push through hips and shorten lumbar spine. Stay and breathe easily for 5-10 breaths. This is an inversion, so eyes must remain open. So often in inversions the desire is to disappear by closing the eyes. Your point of view will never change if you do this. Be alive to viewing the world up side down. To exit, lift chest first, then the head, come to neutral position and move into hare if you wish. Health Notes: Ustrasana stretches hip flexors, psoas, strengthens spine, opens chest and lungs,assisting with respiratory imbalances. It is helpful for mild back issues, menstrual discomfort, and tiredness.
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Full Moon At Dusk
Her imponderable weight rises Caught by skeletal spring branches Of the neighbor’s pear tree, Momentarily enmeshed In tiny nets of unfurled bud. She hangs- dropping gold. Lighter, she lifts silvery Full-orbed, pendulous Breasts and belly wrapped In sheets of silent silk. Her honeyed sheen dazzling The night sky Blazing a trail for other galaxies. Resplendent, radiant, rutilant, Equal consort to the Sun. She surrenders herself to earth Gathering the lost. Her turning reaches dark corners, Shadowed lives of the un-forgiven Now carry her light. *NB Note that this Saturday’s single class at 8:30 AM will shake and bake under the Full Moon -with ritual, dance, howling and chocolate. A time to welcome spring in all her manifestations and celebrations. Planetary Energies You are howling-aren’t you? Full Moon rising as I write. Remember, they often complete un-finished business by bringing to light a new understanding of un-answered questions. I remind you that this is a Super Full Moon, packing a larger punch for the earth, for all things watery, such as tides, and bodies. The dynamic bickering and mishaps of the past two weeks, many having to do with relationship, will grow clearer. The Moon-Sun face off in Libra-Aires is about the other in relation to self. Have you noticed lately the high emotional content of many contacts? Now we can perceive subconscious energies we’ve been dealing with, usually, old family patterns. Time for setting new boundaries, along with greater forgiveness-usually for self, if not others. Reminders that this spring is especially spicy, with fundamental changes demanded of all of us. We are re-looking at- ‘what must I do to build a better mouse trap?’ Help arrived with Mercury going direct on the 4th, but Pluto retrogrades Tues. 10th. Mars remains ‘backward’ until the 14,th soooo, continue paying… Read more »
Read moreGatekeepers & Go-Betweens
The fascinating work in a dance is the moment connecting two moves. As a long time choreographer I’ve watched a lot of dance. The ahaaa moment is not necessarily when the leg extends high into the air, though that is glamorous and exciting, rather is is the connective fiber taking the leg toward its next move that is the emotional ahaaa, the emotional glue of the dance. The go-between moments are the truly creative work in any process. This prepositional-concept is true in all areas, such as having a fascinating idea. In dance, the high-held-leg is a magnificent moment. But where does it carry you from there? What will it become? How is it powerful, or not? This is true of Yoga, especially Vinyasa Flow. It is true of Pranayama, in that it is the moment between inhale and exhale that holds the key to an expanded life. The intention and ability to create strong binding, the fine weaving that holds something together, be it Asanas, Pranayam, dance, poetry, engineering, research… this is the heart of a creation. Here, in the space-between, is where bodies and minds, sinew, and soul expose themselves. This in between moment, like a good preposition, is the gatekeeper toward deeply expressive wisdom. In the Spanda System, the fourth system of the Trika philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism, Hatha Yoga is given focus and direction for seeking experience of the Self, not only to undertake a physical Practice, but a practice of self discovery. ”As the heart and power of inspiration behind the practice….We look for the ‘in-between’ places, between breaths, and between actions, in which there is the experience of quiet awareness and inspiration. This awareness of Spanda is the essence of the qualities of the heart expressed in our Practice.”* “Heart of the Yogi.” By Doug Keller. When learning something for the first time,… Read more »
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Special Saturday 1st, 2011- 10:30 AM New Year’s Day Ritual Let us call down the angelic source to see us through the high wire act of coming year. Treat yourself to Pranayama, chant, Shakti-dance and Vinyasa heat, followed by restorative poses, perchance – space for revelation. 2011 is a four year, a Saturn energy. How can you best use it? How does it tie into your personal number? Come and explore New Year dreams, poses to conquer, Shakti Dances to sing, journeys to enter, Ideas to enlarge upon…the new life waiting to take its shape. Share what you will while eating burnt toast, hosted by Namaste Gang. …It’s all grist for the mill as we grind slowly toward becoming in 2011. Class donations go toward buying a water buffalo through Heiffer International, spreading joy and generosity ever outward. Third of three Breaths on connection. What is the greatest connective energy? As an element, it is air. If it’s a force field, it is electricity. If it is through a mental process, it is a thought. From the emotional body, I say it’s love. Each in their way provide routes for unique and/or quotidian connection. We use them in every moment, rarely hesitating over how transference happens, never mind, why, what or with whom. Facebook has made ‘the who’ pervasively relevant/irrelevant, Electricity connects the what of every city and citizen without hesitation, while thoughts roam air’s free ride, shooting out ideas every nano-second. I suspect the heart would like to feel as free, fast, and easy about connecting, and in a perfect world, it would. How, in this New Year, do we connect more with, from, to the heart? Where does the courage come from to move toward another when we have not yet been welcomed. What is… Read more »
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